Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB)

Abstract

The Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, founded in 1962, gathered several research groups working on
the structure and function of nucleic acids and proteins under one roof. The laboratory played a key role in the formation
of the new science of molecular biology. Between 1962 and 2013, LMB researchers collected 10 Nobel Prizes for research performed
in the laboratory, making it one of the most successful research institutions. The laboratory attracted many young researchers
from around the world who spent their formative years at the LMB before moving on to set up their own laboratories, often
exporting part of the LMB research culture. The LMB pursues fundamental research, but since the 1980s, it has also played
an important role in technology transfer and in the creation of biotech start‐ups in the Cambridge area.

Key Concepts

The LMB was the first institution to carry the term ‘molecular biology’ in its name. It played a key role in the formation
of the new science.

For a long time in Britain, the LMB was regarded as synonymous with molecular biology.

The LMB is independent from the University of Cambridge. It is funded by the Medical Research Council.

Many of the important achievements of the LMB lay in the development of innovative approaches for molecular structure determination,
including X‐ray crystallography, electron microscopy, computational methods and sequencing techniques.

The Sanger Institute in Hinxton, funded by the Wellcome Trust, started out as s a spin‐off of the LMB, dedicated to the sequencing
of model organisms and the human genome.

The LMB pursues fundamental research, but since the 1980s, it has also played an important role in technology transfer and
in the creation of biotech start‐ups in the Cambridge area.

Keywords:
Sanger Institute

Figure 1. The Laboratory of Molecular Biology on the new hospital site (1962). Reproduced with permission from MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology.